Liberal infighting spreads

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Liberal leader Robert Doyle yesterday appealed to party members
not to panic about bad opinion poll results after former party
president Joy Howley said the polls showed the party could not win
under his leadership.

Mr Doyle's appeal for calm came as senior federal and state
Liberals rounded on Ms Howley for her condemnation of his
leadership and of the way the Peter Costello-Michael Kroger forces
are running the Victorian division.

Mr Doyle, Mr Costello, deputy Liberal Leader Phil Honeywood,
upper house leader Philip Davis and a roll-call of federal MPs from
Victoria yesterday leapt to the defence of Mr Doyle and party
headquarters, run by state president Helen Kroger and director
Julian Sheezel.

Ms Howley, who was president from 1997 to 2000 and is associated
with the so-called Jeff Kennett forces, infuriated the party
hierarchy in an interview published in The Age yesterday in which
she said polling "tells us we can't win with Robert", and that
party members who disagreed with the Costello-Kroger forces were
scared to speak out because there was an "element of thuggery
within the party".

Mr Doyle yesterday likened Ms Howley to former federal Labor
leader Mark Latham because she was prepared to publicly "dump" on
her party.

Implicitly acknowledging that the latest polls were bad, he
said: "The most important thing for the Liberal Party is not to
panic, to stick at it, to work hard and do all the things you have
to do in opposition."

Mr Costello said it was "sad" that Ms Howley had seen fit to
"attack practically everybody in the Liberal Party".

"I think she is very out of touch," he said. "The organisation
is in a stronger position than it has been in, I would say, 10 or
15 years."

Mr Honeywood said Ms Howley was "part of the past of the party,
not the future".

"Robert Doyle has the total support of the parliamentary team,"
he said. "He will take us to the next election."

Mr Davis, who said he had worked closely with Ms Howley over
many years, accused her of "gross disloyalty".

"She had a proud reputation as a loyal contributor," he said.
"She has now managed to destroy that reputation."

Federal Liberal MPs Fran Bailey, Sophie Panopoulos, Phil
Barresi, Chris Pearce and Jason Wood all contacted The Age
yesterday to express their support for party headquarters.

Federal director Brian Loughnane said the Victorian division had
contributed to a "great" result for the Liberals in Victoria at
last year's federal election.